On Friday, August 21st, Ring of Honor returned to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA, for one of its biggest shows of the year, “Death Before Dishonor.” This event was headlined by the “Forever ROH Women’s Champion,” Athena, putting her title on the line against a very formidable challenger, Hazuki. However, this was just the cap off to a very fun and action-packed show. We also saw Bandido put his ROH World Championship on the line against Nick Wayne. Should Wayne have been able to defeat Bandido, he would have become the youngest ROH World Champion ever. However, he also has 3 years left to make that claim.

We also saw a Fight Without Honor as Lio Rush put his ROH World Television Championship on the line against his former best friend, Action Andretti. Also, Daniel Garcia battled Adam Priest in a Continental Challenge Cup Play-In match, a four-way tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships, Lee Moriarty put his ROH Pure Championship on the line against Katsuyori Shibata, a four-way match for the ROH Women’s World Television Championship, Deonna Purrazzo put her ROH Women’s Pure Championship on the line against Steph De Lander, Dalton Castle & The Outrunners put their ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships on the line against The Lethal Twist, and four pre-show matches to kick off all of the action. So, what were the top three moments of the night?

3. Jay Lethal Makes History

When you think of someone who has done it all in Ring of Honor, you think of Jay Lethal. Lethal first started with Ring of Honor in the early 2000’s, 2003 to be exact. While his career has taken many twists and turns since then, he has always been synonymous with those three letters. His accolades speak for themselves. Lethal is a former two-time ROH World Champion, a two-time ROH World Television Champion, an ROH Pure Champion, one half of a former ROH World Tag Team Championship team (with Jonathan Gresham), and even won the Honor Rumble in 2011, Survival Of The Fittest in 2012, and was the company’s third triple crown champion and third grand slam champion: all that, plus a six-time ROH Year-End Award winner.

Out of all the gold I mentioned above, the one title he never held is an ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship title. He sought to right that wrong on Friday night in Philadelphia. He teamed up with Blake Christian & Lee Johnson, collectively known as the Lethal Twist, to face off against Dalton Castle & The Outrunners. Castle & The Outrunners have held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championships since May 15th, when they first won those titles at ROH Supercard of Honor 2026. Over those 98 days, the trio defended the titles once against BEEF and the Premier Athletes in June.

While they may not have defended those titles many times, The Lethal Twist knew they had an uphill battle. Blake Christian and Lee Johnson are two of the most successful young stars around today. They can go with the best of them. Putting them in a team with Jay Lethal was nothing short of brilliant. Jay Lethal and the duo got the job done to put Lethal’s name further in the history books. After a 14-minute war, Jay Lethal and the Lethal Twist took home those three-man titles to cement themselves as the top trio of Ring of Honor. It remains to be seen where both of these trios go from here, but one thing we know for sure is that when you think of ROH, you think of Jay Lethal.

2. The Reign … Ends? The Opps Return

In one of the biggest matches announced for the ROH Death Before Dishonor show, we saw the “Blackheart” Lio Rush put his ROH World Television Championship on the line against his former best friend, Action Andretti. This was no ordinary match, however, as it marked the rare “Fight Without Honor” gimmick. A usually hardcore match that forgets all of what Ring of Honor stands for, this match only comes out once in a blue moon when a rivalry calls for it. Rush and Andretti have been to hell and back with each other, so I’m not annoyed that this was a gimmick match, by any means.

The “Blackheart” enjoyed a 71-day reign with the belt. He first won the title in June in a three-way match with the former champion, AR Fox, and Action Andretti. Over the next 71 days, Rush was a fighting champion. He defended the title four times against Lee Johnson, 23 Hazard (at Limitless Wrestling), Oro, and El Clon. He was a perfect example of a fighting champion. His character is beyond over with the crowd right now and is someone you want to see win every time. Unfortunately for Rush, that is not what we got at Death Before Dishonor, as Action Andretti, with the help of some newfound friends, had other plans.

With the help of a returning Anthony Bowens and HOOK, The Opps did what they could to help Andretti win. While Rush initially thwarted the attack, the numbers game was too powerful. Andretti captured the ROH World Television Title, which sent Rush into a spiral post-match. Rush drank something out of a black heart that he pulled out of a box. Black goo came back up through his mouth. Despite losing the title, it appears we are about to get a more dangerous and scarier side from Lio Rush. That’s saying something because he has been the most dangerous person in wrestling for a while now. Lord, help us.

1. The Forever Reign Continues

The main event of the 2026 edition of Ring of Honor’s big event, “Death Before Dishonor,” saw Athena put her ROH Women’s World Championship on the line against Hazuki. There are three things guaranteed in life: death, taxes, and Athena closing out a Ring of Honor event. Taking nothing away from Bandido, Athena is hands down the top star on Ring of Honor today. She is known as the “Forever Champion” because that’s how long she plans to hold onto the title. She is officially the longest-reigning champion in the Modern Day Era. Additionally, she has cemented herself as one of the top women today.

Athena has now held the title for 1,353 days and counting. She first won the title at ROH Final Battle 2022 against Mercedes Martinez. Over the course of the next 1,300 days, Athena has thwarted off challenges from the likes of VertVixen, Kiera Hogan, Marina Shafir, Miyu Yamashita, Willow Nightingale, Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki, Skye Blue, Diamante, Allysin Kay, Angelina Love, Leyla Hirsch, Billie Starkz, Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida, Red Velvet, Queen Aminata, Gisele Shaw, Abadon, Thekla, Alex Windsor, La Catalina, Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirkawa, Harley Cameron, Persephone, Maya World, Taylor Rising, Trish Adora, Zayda Steel, and Syuri. So, it’s safe to say she has won some matches against some very formidable opponents.

Hazuki is no different. She is a phenomenal talent for whom many see a bright future, myself included. However, unfortunately for Hazuki, she was in there with a true “Goddess.” The two women went to a 30-minute masterclass in the main event of the show. Despite having help from her minions, Billie Starkz & Diamante, Athena had her back against the wall in this match at times. Hazuki took out her minions and looked to have the match won. Unfortunately for Hazuki, it was not to be. In the end, Athena retained her title. We’re reaching the endgame sooner rather than later. However, it does beg one question: who will be the one to take the title off of Athena?